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Wed 10 Oct 2007Aer Lingus freeze forces pace of changeBackground:By introducing an immediate pay freeze for its 3,700 staff, Aer Lingus is seeking to force the pace dramatically in its bid to overhaul work practices at the airline, which it maintains are seriously out of line with aviation industry norms.The company first flagged its intention to put in place cost-cutting measures aimed at generating annual savings of €20 million nearly a year ago as part of its defence against a takeover bid by Ryanair. The airline has also told investors recently that these savings, under the plan known as the Programme for Continuous Improvement (PCI), will materialise next year.